The use of electronic apparatuses for media applications, such as TVs, video cassette recorders (VCRs), digital versatile disc (DVD) players, stereos etc. has e.g. lead to that people in their homes have an increasing number of remote controls for controlling the electronic apparatuses. Typically an infrared (IR) interface is used for communicating data between the remote control and the electronic apparatus. A radio frequency (RF) interface may also be used for controlling an electronic apparatus from a remote control.
To reduce the number of remote controls, so called universal remote controls have been developed. These are capable of controlling a plurality of electronic apparatuses. A disadvantage of existing universal remote controls is that they are difficult to configure for use with specific electronic apparatuses.
As an example, a universal remote control may be configured for use with an electronic apparatus by entering a code, e.g. a multi-digit code, identifying the electronic apparatus on a key pad on the universal remote control. This requires that the user has knowledge of the code that identifies the electronic apparatus to be controlled. This may in turn require that the user has a precise knowledge of the brand and/or model name of the electronic apparatus to be controlled in order to find the correct code in e.g. an electronically stored database or in a typed list of electronic apparatuses supported by the universal remote control. The process of manually finding the correct code may be time consuming and prone to errors, which may be a source of annoyance and frustration for the user.
Alternatively, the universal remote control may be configured by browsing through lists of brand and model names displayed on a display on the universal remote control and retrieving configuration data from a database located in the universal remote control. This way of configuring the universal remote control may also be time consuming and prone to errors, since the user needs to manually identify the electronic apparatus in the lists of brand and model names.
As another example, a universal remote control may be configured key by key in a learning mode of the universal remote control. This may be done, e.g. by directing an IR transmitter of a remote control configured to control the electronic apparatus towards a learning eye of the universal remote control and transmitting IR data corresponding to the key to be configured to the universal remote control. This process is repeated for each key that is to be configured. This way of configuring the universal remote control may also be time consuming and prone to errors.
The known techniques may be inefficient as they may be time consuming and/or may have relatively high error probabilities associated with them.